Zookeeper (2011)

You won't be disappointed!

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A group of zoo animals decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zoo keeper find love -- without opting to leave his current job for something more illustrious. To be honest i've always enjoyed Kevin James movies and this one is no exception, there's enough laughs and some great mix of adventure and drama within this film and having some well known actors like Stallone and Nolte voicing some of the animals makes the movie even better. It's not a film for everyone but some viewers will like it. (8.5/10)

Griffin (Kevin James), a zookeeper in NYC, has planned the most wonderful proposal to his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb). He rented a horse to take them both on a beach ride, he planted a bottle with a handwritten note in the sand, and he has hired a mariachi band to serenade them, after the "yes". But, there is no YES! Stephanie turns him down, noting its been hard for her to break things off before this moment. Griffin is appropriately crushed. Back at the zoo, the animals, who can speak English on the sly, vow to help him get a "nice" girl while beautiful fellow biologist, Kate (Rosario Dawson) sympathizes, too. Yet, Griff remains hooked on Steph. Flash forward five years. The torch is still being carried by the animal caretaker, although, after initial shock, he can converse with his charges, especially becoming close to a gorilla who longs for a better view. Steph has an annoying new boyfriend who laughs at and insults Griffin when they all meet at a party. Kate, as Griffin's last minute date, looks sensational! Why can't Griff see that there is a better woman for him right in front of his nose? This sweet, funny film is another "feel-good" experience with Kevin James, a top entertainer. Yes, we may have seen these "something old-new-borrowed" ideas presented in another movie but its still nice fun for the family. Dawson and Bibb compliment James, as does the large supporting cast, for many of the creatures are voiced by stars, such as Cher. Then, too, the sets, costumes, photography and art direction are first rate. The direction, as with the script, is a bit half-baked but has enough energy to keep hold of the viewers. If you are a romantic comedy fan, you will like this one, as will your loved ones. As for dedicated James' fans, you will want to be part of the latest KJ experience. One does wish, however, for James to break out, eventually, and try something darker for a change of pace.

I feel like I want to be kind to the kiddies, but I'm not sure if this movie would appeal even to the youngster crowd. In a totally non-scientific, non-binding survey, my four year old granddaughter said she didn't like it, confirming my suspicion that there was just something missing with the formula. I can't remember which animal uttered the line in my summary, I think it was Joe the Lion, but I think he nailed it. And who names a lion Joe anyway? The stereotypical Leo would have done just fine. Maybe the picture would have had more of an appeal if the animals actually appeared to be talking instead of just hearing their voices. It was all rather disorienting and didn't seem to be that funny. In fact, Maya Rudolph's giraffe and Judd Apatow's elephant were downright annoying. At least Kevin James got the right girl at the end of the story. The alternative would have been un-bear-able.

I found it difficult to believe some of the negative reviews for this movie. I didn't know really what to expect going in, other than what the movie was about, that it was a comedy that featured talking animals. I love animals and so I thought it might be a good pick. I was not wrong, I'm happy to say. What a great movie! I found it very endearing, as well as funny and highly entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud many times throughout the movie. The animals were hilarious and Nick Nolte as the voice of Bernie the Gorilla, Cher as the female lioness, and Sylvester Stallone the Lion, did stellar jobs in their roles, not to mention the other actors who did the voices for the all the rest of the animals, like the Crow, the Monkey (Adam Sandler) the Giraffe and the Elephant.I liked the light romantic aspect of the movie, and I won't tell you the end result of that part as it would be spoiling it, but the whole scene from the time Griffin had the bicycle race with his nemesis Gale and then finally at the wedding reception I found absolutely hilarious.There were a few touching moments too, between Bernie the gorilla and Griffin, as well hilarious ones, like when Bernie decides to drive and while he slips in behind the wheel he says to Griffin, "Don't worry, I got this!" Griffin says, "Okay," and gets in the passenger side. Bernie takes off and goes straight across the road and immediately smashes into a parked car.This movie was SOOO funny. The dialog was great too, not only from the human stars but especially some of the things the animals said. All in all I highly recommend this to people that like to laugh and who love animal movies that are family oriented.